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Career Education for special education

Module by: Joy Heuer. E-mail the author

Summary: This is a unit of career education lessons for a mod./severe special education class. These lessons are targeted towards a K-1 class. Included are lessons on name recognition, self awareness, manners, responsibility, etc.

Career Education Plan

Joy Heuer

Brandman University

Section 1:

Sitting Bull Academy is a new K-8 school this year. Previously, it was two schools, Sitting Bull Middle School and Sitting Bull Elementary school. They were separately funded and staffed but sat on the same lot. Due to budget cuts in the Apple Valley Unified School District, the district decided to create two academies from two sets of adjoining middle and elementary schools. One of these campuses became known as Sitting Bull Academy. It is now supervised by one principal and assistant principal, one office staff, and one custodial staff but it is still essentially two separate campuses as students are divided with lower grades on the elementary side and 5th-8th grade on the middle school side. This pilot year has created some new challenges and a lot of changes. We have yet to see whether this experiment will be a success for the students or just a success in saving money.

Sitting Bull Academy is one of 15 Apple Valley Unified schools. It is located on the southwest side of Apple Valley in the center of an established and supportive community with a high level of parent participation. The surrounding neighborhood consists mainly of single family homes with a few duplexes and apartments within the school’s boundaries. Sitting Bull Elementary and Sitting Bull Middle were built with Measure S funds and opened for the 2006/2007 school year. They both received students from several other schools in Apple Valley. Enrollment last year for Sitting Bull Elementary was 618 and 1,259 for Sitting Bull Middle. However, combined enrollment for Sitting Bull Academy this school year is probably higher than the combined enrollment of both schools because Apple Valley Unified closed a middle school last year and split the students between the three K-8 academies. The representation of students is predominantly white at over 50%. The next highest representation is Hispanic or Latino at just under 30%. African American representation is just under 10% and the other 10%

of students is scattered between Asian, Filipino, Pacific Islander, and American Indian. 8% of students are English learners, 46% are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 7% are students with disabilities.

All staff at Sitting Bull Academy is fully credentialed. Parent involvement is highly valued and encouraged at Sitting Bull Academy. Parent volunteers are utilized daily in the classroom, Booster Club, school council, and special events. The API score for Sitting Bull Elementary last school year was 836 with a statewide rank of 8 and API of 814, with a statewide rank of 7 for Sitting Bull Middle. In 2009, 59% of Sitting Bull Elementary students tested proficient in English – Language arts, 67% in Mathematics, and 62% in Science. In 2009, 62% of Sitting Bull Middle students tested proficient in English-Language Arts, 52% in Mathematics, 63% in Science, and 38% in History-Social Science. Nevertheless, 2010-2011 is Sitting Bull Academy’s first year in program improvement for insufficient growth of the API score.

My classroom is one of four San Bernardino County run, moderate/severe special education classrooms on the Sitting Bull Academy campus. I teach students grades K-2, ranging from 5-7 years of age. I have 10 students: 8 boys and 2 girls. The ethnic representation in my classroom is 50% Caucasian and 50% Hispanic. Representation of student disabilities is 50% mental retardation, 10% autistic, and 40% with more than one qualifying disability. The focus in my classroom is on establishing functional life skills and early academics. There is a heavy emphasis on socialization, behavior management, and functional communication.

Section 2:

September - Time Management

This month, students will learn about their daily schedule. The focus will be on identifying daily events and their sequence in our schedule. We will learn what events come next and/or after each daily activity.

Class Activities:

  1. Schedule Overview (Figure 1)
  • Our daily schedule is posted in the front of the room. It shows the sequence of events and the time each takes place to help adult staff become familiar with the schedule and vocalize schedule to students. During the first week of school, we will simply vocalize what our daily events are. For example, when the buses come in the morning, we say “Now, we are going to breakfast, and then we go to circle.” During circle time we would say “After circle, we have morning groups and then recess.” Students learn the sequence of daily events by vocal repetition and follow through of repetitious routine.
  • Reinforcing Daily Schedule
  • Reinforcement of the daily events takes place throughout the day. As students become more familiar with the sequence of events, they learn to expect what comes next. We reinforce this learning by frequent questioning. For example, when working in our morning groups I will say “We need to finish working, so we can do what comes next. What do we do next?” Several of the students will know that recess comes next but for students that are still learning we simply reinforce verbally that recess is next several times and then follow through by taking students to recess upon completion of the task. We repeat this process several times throughout the day during many of our daily activities.

Possible Guest Speakers: Two different itinerate staff: speech therapist and physical therapist

Figure 1

October - Self-Awareness

This month, students will learn to recognize their own picture and name when asked to find themselves. Students will use these skills to show daily attendance using an attendance chart.

Class Activities:

  1. Picture attendance (Figure 1)
  • Each student has a 4x6 picture of themselves with their name printed at the bottom posted on the classroom wall. When an individual student is called, they will go to the wall and select their own picture with name and place it in our pocket chart to show that they are at school today. Students may need verbal prompting or full physical prompting when first beginning this task. After students recognize their picture consistently, I will put their name in a specific pocket in our pocket chart and have them match their name from their picture to the pocket name to place their picture in the correct slot. After a student can consistently match their printed name, we remove the name from the picture and simply have the student place the picture in the correct name slot.
  • Name Recognition Game (Figures 2 and 3)
  • In order to build name recognition skills, we play a game called “Whose name is it?” I create color coded name cards that have a small thumbnail picture of the corresponding student on them. Name cards are shuffled and when we flip over a card – I ask “Whose name is it?” If the student recognizes their name and corresponding picture correctly – they get to keep the name card. The goal is to have recognized and collected all your name cards by the end of the game. Once students are more familiar with their printed name – we remove the thumbnail picture and play only with color coded cards. Once the student recognizes their color-coded name cards consistently, we replace all name cards with white name cards and play for strict name recognition without any supports.

Possible Guest Speakers: parent, office personnel

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

November - Sequencing

This month, students are learning the proper sequence of getting their lunch from the cafeteria. Students will be taught how to give the lunch lady their name, correctly get all the items they need from the lunch line, walk to their table and sit down. Independent skills such as opening their own milk cart and silverware package are taught as enrichment after the sequencing of the lunch line requires minimal physical prompting.

Class Activities:

  1. Lunch line assembly (Figures 1 and 2)
  • Students are taught through repetition and individual verbal and physical prompting the correct sequence of lunch time events. First, students must wait in line to give the lunch lady their name or name sign so she can check them off. Second, students must walk in line to get their silverware package. Next, they take their tray of hot food items from the lunch lady and put their silverware on the tray. Then, they move down the line and take 1 individual sized portion from each cold food option. Fifthly, they move to the end of the line, leave their tray on the counter, and choose their milk from the milk cooler. Finally, they place their milk in the correct spot on their tray, gather their tray securely and walk to their assigned lunch table. We also teach how to place the tray on the table before sitting down to avoid spilling.
  • Independent Living Skills
  • Independent living skills such as how to eat with utensils, how to open a milk carton, and how to open the silverware package are essential skills needed to eat lunch. Students are taught these skills through a hierarchy of prompts. At first, students may need hand over hand assistance. As students repeat the process each day they are encouraged to do as much of the task independently as possible. Eventually, students learn these skills and can perform them independently after receiving daily support.

Possible Guest Speakers: Cafeteria manager, cafeteria proctor

Figure 1

Figure 2

December - Personal Information

This month, students learn how to recognize their name in print and reproduce their name (first from a printed model, then from memory) by organizing letters in the correct sequence. We use a variety of drill and practice activities to help students learn to recognize and sequence the letters of their name in order.

Class Activities:

  1. Name folders (Figure 1)
  • Each student has a file folder name task that has been created for them. Each letter of their name is laminated in order on the top ½ of the inside of the file folder. Another copy of each letter in their name is laminated separately and backed with Velcro. On the bottom half of the file folders are Velcro patches so students can take the letters and match them in the correct sequence as the model presented. Students are aided in matching each letter and then we spell orally or sign each letter with them and have them repeat each letter and say their name after spelling.
  • Name Shadow Cards (Figure 2)
  • The name shadow cards are presented in the same manner as above except that the model is created so the letters fit right into the modeled name. We spell/sign each letter and say the completed name at the end of this task as well.
  • Name tile cards (Figure 3)
  • The name tile exercise is presented in the same manner as above. There is a printed name model and letter tiles of the student’s letters in their name. The student must correctly match the letters underneath the printed model, then say/sign each letter and state their name.
  • Magnet board names (Figure 4)
  • Students are presented with a printed model of their name, an individual whiteboard, and magnetic letters. They are to match the letters of their name under the model then say/sign each letter aloud and state the name aloud upon completion.
  • Name tracing (Figure 5)
  • Students will trace their name on a specially created worksheet that allows them to write inside of the letter outline. Students may require hand over hand assistance at first but support is faded as student ability and familiarity grows. Upon completion of task, student may say/sign each letter and state their name.

Possible Guest Speakers: parent, principal

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

January - Communication

This month, students learn how to communicate what they need or want. Students practice the development of functional communication through a daily communication journal. The concept is to build functional communication of any kind in order to immediately begin communication for the child.

Class Activities:

  1. Communication Journal (Figures 1 and 2)
  • I enlarge simple photographs of everyday objects that are commonly seen and used in the classroom and at home. We will start with no more than 15 at a time. The object of this daily lesson is to get the student to identify the object and correctly communicate its name. They may do this by speaking the name, making a vocalization or attempting to say the name, or signing the name of the object. For each picture, I record each student’s level of communication. Some students require verbal and/or physical prompting, such as hand over hand assistance or frequent repetition of prompting. Vocabulary is faded out and replaced as students’ exhibit mastery.
  • Homework
  • I send home pictures of the signs we use in class and the current vocabulary we are working on to enlist family support. I encourage parents to practice often with their children to help the communication bridge between school and home. I also enlist parent input when choosing new vocabulary to try to find the most useful vocabulary words.

Possible Guest Speakers: Sign Language Interpreter, deaf student

Figure 1

Figure 2

February - Responsibility

This month, students learn responsibility by participating in classroom chores.  Students rotate through classroom chores to build responsibility in caring for our classroom.  Classroom chores can include: stacking chairs, wiping tables, getting backpacks from the cupboard, emptying the trash, sweeping, vacuuming, filling our water bottles, putting away toys, straightening the books, and putting student work in their drawers.

Class Activities:

  1. Chore board (Figure 1)
  • Each afternoon students locate their names on the board to find their corresponding chore for the week. I have put up pictures to help students understand the chore, along with the written word. Students are assisted in learning their new chore with one- on -one or one-on- two assistance. Students grow in independence and rotate chores weekly. Student abilities are also paired with an appropriate chore. For example, my student that is in a wheelchair needs a seated task such as filing papers, wiping tables, filling water bottles or straightening the books.
  • Task Clean-up
  • After each group, craft or center we have scheduled a one or two minute transition time for clean-up. Students are encouraged and helped to put away their supplies, put their papers in the drop box, push in their chair and wait for directions about where to go. This clean-up time is also used during our play time as each child is required to clean up their activity before moving on or choosing another activity. We are teaching our students that if we all clean up our messes, our classroom stays neat and clean and everything is where it should be for when we need it next.

Possible Guest Speakers: parent, custodian

Figure 1

March - Written Communication

This month, students learn how to write by learning correct letter formation through the use of these handwriting strategies (sequencing of lines and curves to form letters, tracing, and handwriting aids such as bordered slates, lined blackboards, etc.)

Class Activities:

1. Handwriting Without Tears Daily Lessons

  • Pre-school (pre-writing)
    • The pre-writing lessons feature readiness skills such as proper pencil grasp, coloring within localized areas, and tracing basic shapes. The students do a one-page lesson taking about 10-15 minutes. We focus on correct body position (sitting up straight, proper table height, feet on the floor), proper grasp, and fine motor control. Students that achieve generalized fine motor control and can trace simple shapes move on to preschool letter formation. Sample pages are attached. (Figures 1, 2)
  • Pre-school (early letter formation)
    • The letter formation lessons focus on using lines and curves to create letters, correct sequencing of letter formation, starting letters at the top, tracing letters, and letter/sound relationship and recognition. Sample pages and photos of adaptive tools are attached. (Figures 3, 4, 5)
  • Kindergarten (formation of upper and lowercase letters and simple words)
    • Kindergarten lessons focus on students creating the letters independently using adaptive strategies without tracing. Students use adaptive tools such as a bordered slate and large lined blackboard to practice appropriate spacing, size, and proportion. Sample pages and photos are attached. (Figures 6, 7, 8)

Possible Guest Speakers: Occupational Therapist, mailman or post office attendant A trip to the post office would be a nice addition to this lesson so students could see how to send and receive written mail.

Figure 1 (Pre-k)

Figure 2 (Pre-k)

Figure 3 (Pre-k early letter formation)

Figure 4 (wooden sticks)

Figure 5 (dry-erase tracing)

Figure 6 (Kindergarten uppercase)

Figure 7 (Kindergarten lowercase)

Figure 8 (Kindergarten large blackboard)

April - Career Awareness

This month, students will learn about different occupations and the responsibilities of each job. Students will be going through an overview of classic community occupations such as policeman, firefighter, chef, etc. The focus is on identifying the career and highlighting what each person does.

Class Activities:

  1. Build Mat Man (Figure 1)
  • Mat Man is a figure made out of wooden sticks. The activity of building Mat Man teaches students body construction, the names and functions of body parts, and helps them learn to follow directions and take turns. Students build him by putting together lined and curved pieces to make his body parts. This activity is led by a song that tells what order to put Mat Man together in and tells the function of each body part. “Mat Man has one head, one head, one head. Mat Man has one head so that he can think. Mat Man has two eyes, …
  • Read Mat Man Hats book (Figure 2) aloud while students place the appropriate hat on Mat Man.
  • The teacher will lead the activity by reading aloud. For each occupation that Mat Man has, there is an accompanying hat. For example, when mat man is a builder, he has a hard hat. After reading the two pages about each occupation (Figure 3 and 4), the teacher will allow a student to find the matching hat (Figure 5) and put it on Mat Man. The teacher will continue by reading through the story and allowing each student to have a turn dressing Mat Man.

Guest Speakers: A visit by the local fire department or police station to share what firefighters or policemen do each day would be a great follow-up to this lesson. Furthermore, the students could see a squad car or a fire truck and learn about how the vehicles help these people do their jobs.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

May - Number Sense

This month, students learn early number recognition and how to count with one to one correspondence using a variety of counting activities.

Class Activities:

  1. Large, colored numbers in sequential order (Figure 1)
  • At the beginning of math time, each student takes a turn touching each number as they count aloud or sign. Then we practice finding numbers. Students that do not know the numbers can use the color as a clue. For example, I may say “Find the 1, the red one” and the student is able to use the color clue to point to the correct number. Students are practicing rote counting, one to one correspondence, and number recognition.
  • Number pocket chart (number matching and recognition (Figure 2)
  • Students take turns identifying a given number card, counting the objects on the back using one to one correspondence and placing the number card in the correct coordinating pocket.
  • Counting cups (one to one correspondence, number recognition, rote counting) (Figure 3)
  • Students take turns choosing a numbered cup, identifying the number, then counting the appropriate number of objects into the cup using one to one correspondence. Once all cups have been chosen, students use a model of a number line to place cups in sequential order and count through.

Possible Guest Speakers: 5th/6th grade mentor, paraeducator

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Section 3:

Career Education is a very important part of the daily activities in my classroom. When teaching special education it is extremely important to build life skills and academic skills concurrently. The way that I do this is by infusing career education or life skills into every daily activity. For example, when we get the students off the bus, we practice waiting your turn, lining up, listening for your name, and being courteous to others. During breakfast, we practice telling the lunch lady our name, getting our own food items from the lunch line, eating with manners, using utensils, and cleaning up after ourselves. During toileting, we practice the steps to using the bathroom independently, how to wash our hands correctly, and oral hygiene when we brush our teeth. The examples are endless because every daily activity includes elements of career education and life skills that the student will need in the future.

In addition to teaching functional life skills, the classroom is also a place of academics. We have three separate academic group times where students are placed in small groups to focus on their academic IEP goals. During this time, students are learning career education goals such as color identification and sorting, alphabet identification, sight word recognition, reading comprehension, number recognition, counting with one to one correspondence, name recognition, fine motor skills such as cutting, writing, and assembly, and communication skills such as picture identification, speech, and writing. The focus on academic goals is on functionality and usefulness for the future. Therefore, I structure my student’s academics to first build a foundation that we can build upon. I try to use our classroom time as wisely as possible by individualizing instruction to be the most appropriate and functional for every child.

The third major focus for my students’ education is socialization. No matter what profession, housing, or community involvement each student ends up at in the future, they will need to know how to get along with others, follow social norms and rules, and manage their own behavior. This socialization becomes a very important part of our school day. My staff and I are constantly teaching students how to treat others fairly, play together nicely, keep their hands to themselves, follow school rules, take turns, wait their turn, and control their speech and actions. This push for socialization is a lengthy process that requires constant monitoring, frequent prompting, and support from parents at home to make each child successful in the future.

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